Sister Patricia Byrne (M. St Gemma Galgani)
Patricia, the eldest of six children, four boys and two girls, was welcomed into the world on the 11th June 1928 with much love, a love that grew stronger as the family grew over the years. Patricia received most of her education with our sisters at Katanning, country West Australia, and then at Sacred Heart High School, Highgate. She was a diligent and talented student excelling both academically and musically. Following her secondary education she completed a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honours at the University of West Australia.
In her 21st year she responded to Christ’s call to follow him in religious life. On entering the novitiate she received the name of Sr M. St Gemma Galgani. Patricia was gentle and gracious by nature and gifted in many ways. She could speak both French and German fluently and also taught Latin. She was a talented musician, playing both piano and organ and had a great knowledge and love of classical music. She was also a good cook, seamstress and accomplished knitter!
Over the first 30 years of her religious life she taught in our Secondary Schools in Highgate, Fremantle and Sorrento, but she didn’t find teaching larger classes easy involving as they did both motivating and disciplining students. However, those who experienced her teaching in smaller groups or individually valued, appreciated and imbibed her own love of language and the competencies that accompanied that. Quite a few of her former students who had stayed in touch with her over the years were present at her Requiem Mass at Highgate.
In the 1960’s, whilst studying for a Masters Degree in French at UWA, Patricia won a scholarship to the Sorbonne in Paris and was there in 1968 during that tumultuous year of student uprisings – not exactly Patricia’s scene! However, one fortuitous aspect of her time in Paris was her meeting with Sr Marie Benedicte, who at that time was the Directrice of our College in Charenton. When, four years later, she became the Congregational Leader she asked Patricia to be her private secretary because of her language skills. During that time as she accompanied Marie Benedicte to a number of Provinces she came to know many Sisters across the Congregation, attested to by the number of cards and emails received on her death. One very significant visitation for Patricia was to Vietnam in 1973. It was an opportunity to express her interest in and love of Vietnam begun many years before in the 1950’s through the presence there of our Mother M. St Catherine Harris. She also met Sisters who had been her pen friends for some time. Her love and understanding of the people was immeasurably enriched by this experience.
When she returned to Perth from Rome at the end of 1975 she taught for the next five years at Our Lady of the Missions High School, Fremantle. In 1983 Patricia returned to Rome, this time to participate in our Spiritual Life Programme. Here she had the opportunity to reflect on the struggle she experienced in finding a sense of mission in what she was doing, much and all as she loved French and German. The Psalms for many years had been a source of strength for her spiritual journey and music was a special place of encounter with God. On her return home to Perth she had a significant encounter, an unanticipated answer to her struggle and prayer.
In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, a great influx of refugees began arriving in Perth from Vietnam. Knowing something of Patricia’s background and experience Archbishop Hickey, then Director of Social Services in Perth, asked her to be a pastoral presence and support for all the people arriving from camps in Asia. So, 1984 became a turning point in Patricia’s life. The ensuing years saw a releasing of love and missionary energy deep within her that teaching had not been able to free.
Over the next 30 years of meeting groups of refugees at the airport (usually in the middle of the night!), preparing homes for new arrivals, taking them to appointments, helping them to navigate government departments, finding the most suitable schools for children, sharing all their joys and sorrows, Patricia became beloved ‘mother’, then ‘grandmother’ to many, many Vietnamese and Cambodian families, Christian and non-Christian alike. Over the years her little white Hyundai covered thousands of kilometres on their behalf. She must hold the record for the most baptisms and weddings attended by anyone in Perth! And just like a loving Mother with her children Patricia was, it would have to be admitted, very one-eyed when it came to comments about her beloved Vietnamese people…… a love she said many times was more than abundantly reciprocated over the years, and that was certainly very tangibly expressed by the crowd at the Vigil Mass celebrated at the Vietnamese Centre on the eve of her Requiem Mass. This latter celebration took place at Sacred Heart Church, Highgate, also filled to capacity, with family, friends, many past students and a large representation from the Vietnamese community. Among the past students present was the Hon. Kate Doust, current President of the Legislative Council of West Australia and a former pupil of Patricia’s at OLM Fremantle. On her return to the Parliament after the Mass she gave an address to the Council in which she paid tribute not only to Patricia for her life of service to education and to the Vietnamese refugees in our community, but to all those other religious who have chosen a life-time of service for others and not for themselves and for the uncelebrated impact they have had on many people’s lives and in our society.
In the homily at the Vigil Mass, Fr Michael quoted from a poem by Tagore in which a Maiden who has faithfully carried her lamp throughout her life’s journey, despite pleading invitations along the way to take ‘other paths’ arrives at the Festival of Lamps……and so Patricia, we pray that your lamp now is flickering along with that of Euphrasie and many other RNDMs, family and friends with whom you have shared life and light.